Archive for January, 2006
Wheels Off
15 years in student ministry affords you the luxury of developing your own lexicon of phraseology. I was rambling about something incredibly important the other day and used the phrase “that is wheels off.”
Which reminds me of a story of Riley. Her parents had just dropped her off at college and told her that didn’t want her driving home by yourself. Riley argued – “I’m a big girl, blah, blah…” Somehow the topic of a flat tire came up and how to replace it. Riley waved her cell phone and said “Yeah, like there’s another tire up under the car.” To which mom and dad marched her out and showed her that yes, there really was a tire up under the car. (Odd phrase, don’t you think….up under?)
But that has nothing to do with the phrase wheels off. Neither does another girl – my babysitter in fact – who when told the story of Riley was like “Ohhhhh mahhhh goshhhh….you mean there’s a tire underneath the car??”
The fact that neither one of these girls knew about the spare tire IS so very wheels off. Which I now realize I’ve introduced another slangism in the conversation…so very.
‘So very‘ has many kissing cousins – so utterly, abso-freakin-lutely, and of course so intensely.
Wheels off means that something is completely undone, ruined, messed up. As in a junior high boys bible study after somebody passes gas. In fact, that is so utterly wheels off it’s not even funny.
Which of course is another phrase that means that is so very funny. Got any favorite youthisms?
The Sharp Tongue
I’ve been following a blog the last couple of days – on homosexuality. Brian McLaren – yes that evil, liberal, po-mo, emergent church leader (tongue strongly in cheek) wrote an article on how he handled the question “Where does your church stand on homosexuality.”
His response – well, actually…his response (both of them) was quite impressive. He choose to dig for the question behind the question. Why is this couple asking this question? What baggage are they dealing with that as a pastor I need to be sensitive to?
The comments he got about his response was….well, embarassing. If you want, you can read the comments but the one that was most disappointing was from Mark Driscoll. He roasted Brian and Doug Pagitt…and I thought they were all once friends. I’m not linking it because I’m still holding out hope that it really wasn’t Mark Driscoll…it was pretty raunchy. Yes, that coming from me….
All of that to say this I’m watching this conversation with a bunch of random thoughts in my head.
1. I wish Brian would state clearly how he does handle the ‘homosexual question.’ Not because I want to roast him over the coals, but because I respect the grace and love in which he has handled this latest controversy.
2. I wish other ‘theologians’ could have Brian’s compassion while maintaining their theological correctness. That might be a pipe dream, I realize.
3. Looks like the emergent folks are about to experience their first ‘denominational’ split. Well, welcome to the club! We’ve got jackets!
4. I think in the effort to be theologically correct/pure a greater sin was committed. And the only reason I’m able to recognize it….I’ve done it.
[tags]Brian McLaren, Mark Driscoll, homosexuality, Leadership Journal, Doug Pagitt[/tags]
Broncos 2nd Season
As a Bronco fan, I’ve learned that the off-season is almost just as exciting as the regular season….almost.
Take last year for instance – draft Maurice Clarett, trade Rueben Droughns for Cleveland defensive line, cut Maurice Clarett, sign Jerry Rice, watch Jerry Rice retire.
This year – lose Gary Kubiak (ouch), flirt with TO, and now hire Mike Heimerdinger as offensive coordinator.
Let the record show that (in my opinion) as genius as Shannahan is on the field, he is as “what the $%&! are you thinking” off of it. Granted it is hard to argue with how the Cleveland Broncos performed this year minus the Pittsburgh train wreck.
But let’s evaluate the moves/rumors so far…
Kubiak – huge loss but unavoidable. He was going to head coach somewhere in the league at some point in time. Miracle that he has stayed this long.
TO – aka The Trainwreck. Talk about not fitting? How is he going to hang out with Rod Smith? John Lynch? Donavan was/is an all-pro quarterback. Plummer is a good one. If TO had issues with Donavan, what’s he going to do with Plummer? Plummer is a hairy Jeff Garcia and we all know how well that relationship went.
Besides, TO belongs on the Raiders with all the other bonehead players with loads of talent but won’t listen to coaches. That’s why it doesn’t matter what coach the Raiders get. Nobody is going to listen to him. What a day to get the two players I loathe the most on the team I loathe the most….good night…I’m slobbering just thinking about it.
More questions about TO. Denver can handle a loudmouth – see Shannon Sharpe. BUT that loudmouth has to perform, has to put the team first, and can’t be outtalked by their agent. TO fails on two of three.
Heimerdinger…so the Bronco offense struggles to put up points in the offseason, loses their offensive coordinator, and the response is to hire the former offensive coordinator of the Jets and the Texans.
Okay, I reserve judgment for later but I gotta admit…this offseason is adding up to be just as bizarre as the last one.
Caedman Lucas Plunkett
I finally got the call I was dreading for months….from Heath. They were at the hospital in labor and delivery…….
There was no hearbeat.
I’m coming. Why? What do I bring to the table? What possible words can be uttered that have any meaning at all? Call the Life Group. Stumble over the story. We all know the deal.
I’m at their room a lot faster than I want to be. There are not a lot of words exchanged…a few tears, a smile, hugs. Silence. It’s not awkward though…somehow, it’s healing.
Across the hallway is the room where Amy recovered with Cayden 3 years ago. 10 feet of hallway makes a huge difference.
The doctor comes in and introduces himself to everyone in the room, shakes hands. He’s not their doctor but the one on call. So we pray real quick – right there with the doctor and the nurse…I don’t even remember what I said.
I turn to leave, just knowing that this moment is for Heath and Ann…not me. I see the doctor touch Ann on the arm and whisper….”I am so sorry.”
Out in the lobby a bunch of us make small talk…around 20 minutes or so goes by and the same doctor walks by. The others know him….Dr. Rick Wyatt. That man would be a huge minister of Christ before the day was done.
Dr. Wyatt stays until Ann finally delivers…after 7 tonight. A beautiful boy with a head of hair…he’s loved, he’s named…he’s just not breathing.
Caedman Lucas Plunkett.
Kubiak…my favorite Aggie
Gary Kubiak has always been the man behind the Man. He backed up John Elway. He was Steve Young’s QB coach (picked up a ring there), he was Mike Shannahan’s offensive coordinator (got a couple of rings there). Now – he’s the Man…albeit in Houston.
I’m glad he’s finally got a head coaching gig but….Houston? Yeah, it’s his home town, the home of his beloved Oilers. But it isn’t the ’80′s anymore and Dan Pastorini isn’t running out of the tunnel.
Kubiak can coach and he’ll make David Carr better…but this team is terrible and having the number 1 pick isn’t going to help them all that much.
“With the first pick of the draft, the Houston Texans select…the entire offensive line of the University of Southern California.”
Good luck, Gary. My favorite memory of you is a Monday night game against the Redskins. Elway was hurt, you came in and won. Do I now have to become a Houston Texans fan?
[tags]Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans, John Elway, Steve Young, NFL[/tags]
Friday Night Lights
Watched Friday Night Lights last night…(I know, I’m finally getting some time to see some movies that have been on the “To See” list).
If anything, the movie downplays the role of Texas high school football. Don’t get me wrong – the movie is great. It is a great discussion starter for your high school group and their parents. How important is high school? Do we have a good perspective on high school and sports? It is rated PG-13 for a reason. High school is a PG-13 experience…if you’re lucky.
As a youth pastor in West Texas, I got a first hand look at the place of high school football. It’s unreal. Don’t even try to schedule anything during football season. It doesn’t matter if it is an away game or a home game. Whole towns shut down on Friday afternoon. They put the playoffs on television. Only one other state comes close to this obsession – Alabama.
I remember when the book came out, I was at Hardin-Simmons in Abilene. The book was so hated in Odessa, H. G. Bissinger couldn’t go back there for fear of his life. I’m not sure if that is still the case. The racism, favoritism, and complete lack of perspective he painted in the book was first seen as fiction by the rest of the nation. On the DVD he says “I couldn’t make this stuff up, how unreal the situation is…”
Overall – I’d watch it with a bunch of high school guys and their dads. And start poking around to see how much of the film depicts reality.
[tags] Odessa Permian, High School Football, Abilene[/tags]
Worship Leading
I’m leading worship for the 3rd week in a row at Grace. It’s a wierd deal because while I love certain aspects of it, it’s feels a little goofy at times. Like – how does it feel to know the least amount of music on the stage but you are the ‘leader?’
Hearing me describe what I want or what sounds good has got to be akin for at least some of our band members to listening to a 3 year old describe wet. I’m making noises and hand motions, saying stuff like “okay, right here….right here…I want you to play….dahh…dieee.. dha….then a really loud crack on the cow bell.” Or “start really soft here and feel the vibe take you all the way to the end.”
MORE COW BELL! I’VE GOT TO HAVE MORE COW BELL.
The good thing is …. the intimidation factor is pretty low. I mean, we’ll pretty much try anything once in practice. If it sounds good – we’ll keep it. If it doesn’t, we humilate whosever idea it was…I mean, we’ll gently and lovingly move on to the next idea.
But for me it brings up a great insight…at least, it’s an insight for me.
Uncomfortableness forces me to try new things and listen to other people’s ideas. There is freedom in the awkwardness to try something different. I like that.
[tags]cow bell, worship[/tags]
The Brokeback End of the Mountain Spear
What exactly would you get if you combined the gay cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain with End of the Spear – a movie about a Christian martyr missionary? Am I being irreverent? Maybe….then again…maybe not.
By now you’ve heard about Brokeback Mountain. But what you might not have heard is that Chad Allen, who plays Nate Saint in End of the Spear, is a homosexual activist. That’s right, gang. And nothing stirs up the Evangelical Right more than a homosexual activist. (Maybe an abortion doctor.) Start making your BOYCOT END OF THE SPEAR posters now. There are actually people who are calling for the boycott of the movie…a movie about a Christian missionary…because a gay actor plays him.
I have a question concerning that reaction. Can we think of another reaction to things other than boycott? Is that as creative as we can get? How about…ummm, I don’t know….dialogue, conversation, bridge building? Here is a pretty fair assessment of the situation by Mark Newman of Movie Ministry.
Newman did not do as good of a job on his review of Brokeback Mountain. His point that Brokeback makes sin a pleasant, justifiable experience is well made but every romantic comedy/tragedy (Titanic, Hitch, any Nora Ephron movie) uses the same formula. Nobody screams and hollers “IMMORALITY” when Tom Hanks finally gets Meg Ryan. Why? The difference is that the two protagonists in Brokeback are men. For some reason, ‘we’ are okay with movies that paint heterosexual sin with empathy but we break out the rocket launchers for homosexuality.
They will know us by our boycott signs…
[tags]Brokeback Mountain, End of the Spear, Chad Allen, Movie Ministry[/tags]
Un-Freakin-Believable
What the heck was that???
I’m not answering my cell phone for the next 2 days – so don’t even call me. First of all – congrats to the Steelers. They beat the 1, 2, and 3 seeds as a 6 seed. I hope the beat the snot out of the Seahawks.
BUT it was like Twilight Zone watching the game. The former defensive line of the Browns that didn’t play like Browns all season played like the Browns. Shanahan forgot to give Jake the smart pills. I knew something was up when Big Ben’s first pass hit Champ Bailey in the chest, bounced straight up in the air and Hines Ward caught it.
Somebody slap Phil Simms while we are at it.
Phil: “The Broncos just aren’t taking advantage of the opportunities to score, like that fumble from Parker.”
Explain to me how a team is supposed to capitalize on a reversed call? Not that it would have mattered. Jake would have found a creative way to give the ball back. It was like all of the bonehead mistakes of the entire season exploded out of him like a zit.
Number 22, Mr. Foxworth? Yeah…if a team keeps throwing to your side of the field…that’s not a complement.
Man…what a pathetic showing.
[tags] Jake Plummer, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL[/tags]
Cowher After The Loss…
This is just ….oh my…funny.
AFC Championship Game
The Real Super Bowl.
I absolutely loved the Steelers and the Broncos growing up. Two of the hardest hitting teams in the NFL right now. Somebody is going to get carried off the field on Sunday afternoon between Troy Polamalu and John Lynch. I’d like to see a cage match between those two.
Now for the game…it isn’t a secret who I’m going to pick. Let me tell you why.
1. Unis – barely. Steelers have such a sweet look, it’s a shame to root against them.
2. The Smith Factor – Rod Smith is the greatest guy in the league. He is the ultimate team guy…Troy Brown is in the same league.
3. Coaches – Both guys will straight up tell you like it is. If their team looked ridiculous on that day – they’ll say it first. However…Cowher didn’t draft Maurice Clarrett BUT he doesn’t have any rings either. Toss-up.
4. Weather – it doesn’t matter. These teams rely on the other team making mistakes, getting intimidated, or loosing their nerve as a result of the serious slobber knocking they do.
5. Home Field Advantage is a very real thing in Denver. I can remember sitting in the South Stands feeling the stadium move underneath my feet. It is loud. And it is a mile high.
It is going to be a brutal, close game. Can Jake Plummer continue to play with his helmet out of his tailbone pad? I hope so. I’m stickin’ with my Broncs…
[tags] Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, AFC Championship[/tags]
NFC Championship Game
Now for something important…
NFC Championship Game…Seattle vs. Carolina….couple of things to consider while picking this game..
1. Warm weather team in a cold, wet weather locale…advantage = Seahawks
2. Mascot matchup…Panthers win in a landslide. (ever see what a cat does to a bird?)
3. Coaching….Both are very intelligent, both are incredibly annoying. Fox dancing around the sidelines being the rah-rah guy. Holmgren “I Must Have GM Control” until of course I can’t make the playoffs with the team I accrued…so just let me go back to coaching. Advantage – push…who really cares anyway.
4. The Smith Factor – Steve Smith is pound for pound the best WR in the NFL. Don’t even leave a comment here saying otherwise. It will be deleted. On second thought, it won’t be deleted…it will be highlighted to show your ignorance.
5. Choke Factor – there were so many games this year that the Seahawks were just trying to give away. The problem was they were playing choke fest teams like the NY Giants, the Redskins, and any other team in the NFC besides Carolina.
6. Unis – Seahawks advantage.
GE’s pick….I’d love to see the Seahawks and the Broncos in the Super Bowl. It would be a great day for AFC West fans everywhere. But alas…I think Carolina will win.
[tags] Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, NFC Championship[/tags]
What Are We Doing Well, Part 2
Not For The Comfortable
Part 1
Grace Particular
[Don't go here...too risky...let sleeping dogs lie...]
Grace is an odd duck in this whole discussion. There are days when I think we should be called “The Reluctant Church.”
For example, we have a pocket of people feeding the homeless under the Broadway Bridge every week. That’s been happening for close to a year now. Started out the compassion of a few guys – not as a big program push. We’ve got a MOPS ministry that is doing quite well that again was started out of the compassion and calling of some members. We’ve got some students starting a worship band to begin a student worship service on their own. We’ve got a mentoring young mothers opportunity that Young Life is spearheading. We’ve got Life Groups walking through real life hurts in a redeeming way. We’ve got pockets of discipleship happening in some of our Life Groups. We’ve got 50 to 60 year-olds running around the city saying “I’ve never known Jesus like this! This is awesome! This is changing EVERYTHING!” We have a crew that is spearheading our partnership with Life Church in Mandeville, LA.
When new folks encounter Grace, we are hearing almost the same the comments – “There’s something here…I can’t describe it…I don’t know what to do with this…it’s different than what I expected…I’m encountering something Other…When are ya’ll getting a pastor?” (Which I’ll save my response to that for a later post…)
Then we have this side of Grace – complaints about clothing, complaints about atrium speaker clarity, complaints about the use of ancient art, complaints about the prayer canvas, complaints about the irreverance of the speaker (that would be me..he he he), shortages of volunteers in all of the above ministries plus children’s ministry. Some of that is just life in West Little Rock – the “Can I take your order, please?” expectations of the church and her ministers that seems so endemic to our context. We aren’t going to be able to change that but couldn’t it be possible to change it inside Grace?
But the fruit of all of this is what is disturbing…we haven’t reproduced an adult Life Group Leader that has reproduced a Life Group Leader in 4 years. We haven’t seen an adult come to know Christ in the last year. We haven’t birthed a Life Group that has made it on their own. While we have seen new missional ministries and opportunites birth at Grace, they are struggling because no one else has either connected or care enough to help. We have folks who see Life Groups as an extreme waste of time because they can’t get real with their junk for fear of rejection or worse – being ignored.
Juxtaposed to the opportunities is the extreme reluctance (pride? ignorance? distraction? fear?) to risk any thing further, to push ‘further up and further in’. How do you lead out of that? Is it possible? What are the costs to staying in this place? Costs of leaving this place?
More good news? We have called the entire church to 30-something days of prayer concerning the next chapter at Grace – particulary pertaining to the next hire. (Why 30-something days? Because the end of it is on the first Sunday of March and to have 37 days of prayer just sounded dorky…of course so does 30-something days of prayer…but I digress…)
The last time we called the entire church to go through the same thing (Life That Rocks), a little over half of our Life Groups participated. Which begs the question – will we do the work of prayer? Mark E. challenged me with this one day, at what point do you have all the head knowledge you’re ever going to hold and it now it is just a matter of doing it…just being obedient?
Ouch…and much needed for me. Will Life Group leaders and ministry leaders stop and take time in their meetings to pray for clarity and courage for the elders? Will families pray every day with open-hands and open-agendas to seek the will of God for Grace? Will we treat this as just another ministry push from the ‘leaders’ or will we embrace the call for the journey ahead? Will we take time and listen and engage with God? Will we risk obedience once we hear God?
Again, lots of questions…not many answers. Clarity hopefully is coming.
What Are We Doing Well?
Nelson challenged me to write about what the church is doing well. Did he mean Grace particular or church in general? Not sure….but here are my musings on the general…Grace specific is coming soon.
Church General
I read about 35 blogs on churches all over the world. Almost all of the churches outside the US are ‘growing’ (adding) new followers of Jesus by relational/missional methods. I cringe at the use of the word ‘method’ because I don’t think they see it as a method but just how we are supposed to live – overflow living. Focus seems to be on things like spiritual disciplines/formation, theology and church in pubs, coffee shops, theaters, houses, emphasis on authenticity, community, and simplicity.
I also think most of them handle the culture around them in a healthy, biblical way. What does that mean? That means they are not trashing culture, withdrawing and becoming “in the bubble” isolationists complete with their own Christian ghetto supplied with Christian schools, Christian music, Christian books, Christian stores, Christian friends, Christian cars, Christian movies, and Christian neighborhoods.
Neither do I see them blindly embracing culture without any questions or critiques. I see them taking the hard road which recognizes that the clean, clear lines between the sacred and the secular might not be as clean and clear as we originally thought. Everything in our world has both the fingerpring of the Holy as well as the fingerprint of the Fall. Seldom are things completely one or the other.
The American/Western church has some issues…which I think Marko dealt with, albeit longwindedly 
, very accurately here. There seems to be pockets of places where there is a cry to expand the rational to include the experiencial and a very plain determination to do the ‘black and white’ of Jesus (feed the hungry, help the poor, orphans, and widows) without abandoning the worldwide emphasis of missions. Community and cause.
But change is slow in the church, blindingly fast outside of it. Will the church dare to risk and lead some of those changes or will she just react?
Patriot Pastors
This is ridiculous and this is about exactly how I feel about it.
Brasil, Brazil, Brahzeel
I will humbly admit…after a very heated email exchange between Wayne and I, that I do not get as many emails as Wayne does. But I do not think that a subscription to Biker Babes should count.
In the meantime, so many of you have asked us about Brazil. Are we going? How much money do you need (we like those questions)? Is this a precursor for ya’ll moving down there?
Porte Allegre, Brazil and Thomas and Agnes and all the other missionaries are permenently lodged in our hearts. This will be my 4th trip, Amy’s 3rd. Their mission is to reach the youth culture of southern Brazil for Christ using sports and adventure experiences to do this. This is us teaching them dodgeball.
They have a growing ministry to the poorest of school systems around their camp. Here are all the blogs from there last year.
When we go, we traditionally spend all week in public schools telling them about America and Jesus, invite them to hang out with us at English camp the upcoming weekend.
This year as I transitioned (was demoted) out of youth ministry, I wrestled as to my role in this. The current leadership decided (and I agreed) that a trip this year was just to much to ask. As Amy and I prayed…I just knew we needed to go. I called Thomas and told him the situation. He said that he had already advertised and pushed the camp. Could Amy and I at least come and lead the worship and talks at the English camp? Plus, he has a couple of new missionary staff – this could be a great time to hang out with them and encourage them.
All the confirmation I needed. We had a role…let’s go.
No teenagers this time? Right and I hated that at first. However, I have to also admit that as the trip is playing out and what Thomas needs…it’s more about equipping and encouraging adults that work with teens. Lot’s of time with the missionaries and local churches as to the ‘hows’ of international youth culture.
What does that mean? It means we have to come up with $3,000. Around $2,000 we’ve already spent on airline tickets. Yes, Grace can/will accept your check, put Brazil in the memo. If we have your snail mail…you are going to get a wonderful form letter asking for prayer and money. Do with it what you please…fire starter, etc…
How much have raise so far? Let’s see…..$0. It’s a slow start but I’m not worried.
Are we going long term? No. Not yet. Probably not. Hopefully. He heehe… I said that mostly to send my mom and mother-in-law into cardiac arrest. As much as we love Porte Allegre, we are pretty convinced that for now – we aren’t called there. We do more good for them here in the states than we would on the scene.
I’ll update when I know more…we appreciate both of you who read this blog.:)
Not For The Comfortable
I’m in the middle of a great dialogue with a friend of mine about pain, darkness, how the church seems to be completely unable (and at times unwilling) to just BE the church – cry with those who cry, mourn with those who mourn, weep with those who weep. Instead, she seems to opt for the easy, softball answers of Hallmark Greeting Cards.
As I continue to think about that discussion, I think about my life group. Every one of us is going through a deep, dramatic loss/hurt of some sort right now. None of us are immune. And we are learning that the easy – “God will work it out” answers are…well, they’re crap. Not only are those ‘answers’ not comforting, I don’t think they are even biblical. (Just because it’s in the Bible, doesn’t make it biblical.)
What if God doesn’t work it out? At least the way we think He ought to work it out…or the way we hope He works it out? I understand intellectually/theologically that God says that He weaves all things for good for those He loves and has called according to His purposes.
But honestly, those purposes from our (my) finite, limited perspective looks like it is shot all to hell right now. It feels like that He doesn’t know what He is doing and that He’s off doing an errand somewhere and forgotten all about me… and Heath and Ann….and Wayne and Amy…well, you get the idea. It feels like He’s forgotten about all of us.
Intellectually and theologically – I get it. I understand it on a mental, unemotive, often unreal level. He has not forgotten. And those shallow enough to not wrestle with the harsh realities of pain are all too quick to remind me of such things.
But that rings hollow in the shadow of unanswerable questions. What if our definition of sovereignty is different than God’s understanding? It appears that God’s understanding of sovereignty includes watching Jesus die a horrific death on the cross. It includes innocents dieing. It includes pain, hurt, clouds, despair as well as “joy that comes in the morning.”
What if this trial/darkness/hurt isn’t about testing my faith? What about those of us – to steal my friend’s words – who have been to the cross and are honestly trying to live a God glorifying life as best as we can? What if the great joke of Job is being played on us? It’s not about our faith, it’s about God’s story. How do I (or anyone else for that matter) want to deal with that?
I know intellectually that there is nothing better on earth or off of it than God and what He holds in His hand. But what if what He is holding in His hands is more than I want to endure? Does He still redeem and heal when my faith isn’t enough?
“Can’t Live Without Plugins” for WP 1.5.whatever we are on
If you aren’t familiar with WordPress, this isn’t going to mean a whole lot. Other than maybe kick you in the rear to switch to it. I upgraded to WP 2.0 for a whole three days. The upgrade process was easy and painless. The usability was not as good.
In fact – I hated it. Mainly because of the plugin situation. I’m reading everyday, more and more plugins are becoming available. I’m glad. Maybe by 2.0123456 it will be worth upgrading.
However, more than a few of you have asked -”how are you doing that?”, “what’s that plugin?” Here are my vital plugins for WordPress:
Alphabetical Plugins – Even I’m not as random as how the plugins are listed on the plugin page in WP. This gets them all in ABC order.
Get Recent Comments – See “The Latest Buzz” in the sidebar? That’s what this one does.
Show Top Commenters – See the “Talkers of the Month” in the sidebar? That’s what this one does.
Simple Tags – See the “tags:” at the end of this post? That is what this one does.
Smart Archives – This is one of my favorites. See here. How cool is that for an archive?
Tiger Admin – No, Tiger Woods doesn’t do all my paperwork now. A behind the scenes plugin that makes the interface much more palatable. Or in Canadian…it makes WP’s face easier to look at. “Your face is easier to look at.” “Your mom’s face is…”
Subscribe to Comments – When you make a comment and want to keep up with the convo, this is your tour guide.
WP Flickr Post Bar – This plugin was the lynchpin in my switch to wordpress. It takes the pics I have on Flickr and let’s me post them just like Picassa and Hello did with Blogger. With a lot more flexibility and options. He just recently updated it..AWESOME!
X Comments – See “My Thoughts Elsewhere” in the sidebar? Those are the comments I’ve left on other blogs I’m reading. I’m loving this one.
Spam Karma 2 – This plugin is so complicated and has so many options…it’s just sick. I don’t know how it all works. I just know it works. No s p a m.
So there you are…a completely nerdy, geeky post to satisify the geek population of this blog.
[tags]Wordpress, plugins, blogging, your face[/tags]
Need: 2 Tickets to AFC Championship Game
I am grovelling for anyone who has a heart for a pastor who is addicted to Bronco football. I check ebay last night to see what tickets would cost for the AFC Championship game. I figured that I could talk my dad into going with me.
Holy FREAK!!! Could be expensive…around $300 a ticket right now. If I can stumble on some about half that…I’d go in a heartbeat. I’d just drag my dad with me…mom would get over it…eventually. I mean, I’m her son…she’d have to forgive me, right?
To further prove my dependancy on all things Broncos and all things uniforms…I give you the logo history of the Denver Broncos.
WARNING: It isn’t pretty.
First: 1960-1964. Pretty ridiculous. As a matter of fact…it’s horrible. What can you do with mustard yellow and dookie brown? 
Next: 1965-1967. A logo so bad, it only lasted two years. The Broncos dusted off this version for their throwback uni’s a few years ago. Looks like a man trying to strangle a goat.
Next: 1968-1996. I loved this logo for the most part. It was such a massive improvement that they didn’t change it for close to 30 years. However, after 4 incredibly lopsided Super Bowl losses, the logo had come under suspect. Then after that home playoff loss to Jacksonville in 1996, it was proven. The logo had turned. It could no longer be trusted. A new logo was called for.
Finally: 1997-Present. The truth will set you free. And so ended the Bronco Super Bowl curse. For 2 years, the Logo didn’t know what life was like without a Lombardi Trophy. In fact, the Broncos have never lost a Super Bowl wearing this logo. Hopefully, we’ll get to test that theory again this year.
The current logo is absolutely the best logo they have ever had.
Little Rock Improving, I’m Blaming Mark
Last year, I posted that Little Rock was the nation’s highest concentration of ‘Christians’ and the meanest city to the homeless.
Thanks to Robert, I learned some good news today. We’ve ‘improved’ to the third meanest city to the homeless.
Does that mean that we have LESS evangelicals OR is Mark and Zack and Garrett and friends really making an impact? My vote is for the impact.
[tags]homeless, Little Rock[/tags]
I Want It Now
Rowland really set the table for our life groups this week. Spend some time with 1 Samuel 8-12.
What word or phrase “shimmered” or stuck out.
What did you like best about the passage?
What did you like least?
What did you learn about God?
What did you not understand or find puzzling?
What do you think applies to people today?
What decisions do you see that you’ve made out of fear? Does fear normally paralyze you or force you to make quick/poor decisions? What lessons might you be missing?
One of the core disciplines we have in a life group is guidance. Remember that? We help each other listen to God. Where do you need help listening? What God moments were started on Sunday morning?
Steelers and Bears…which means…
My dear friend Robert thinks I ought to pick games in Vegas based on the uniforms. If it was only that easy. The truth of the matter is that uniform rank will only help in a close game winner.
If we were picking today’s game upon uni’s…The Bears and Steelers…hands down. BUT…couple of other factors here.
1. Never pick a warm city team to be a cold city team at the cold city team’s stadium. NEVER. See Jacksonville in New England. See Tampa Bay anywhere north of I-20. Edge: Bears
2. Grass teams shouldn’t be picked over Turf teams on turf. Edge: Colts
3. Outdoor teams normally don’t play well in domes. Edge: Colts
4. In the playoffs – experience matters. Edge: Panthers, even in AFT
So, having said all of that. I’m pulling for the Steelers…I think they’d like Denver this time of the year. And the Bears. So it will be the Colts and the Panthers playing next week.
[tags]Colts, Steelers, NFL Uniforms, Bears, Panthers[/tags]